End of the World
by IchigoMoonCutter
Summary: The lone witness of the end of his own world and everything that ever was, Ichigo is now cursed by Death himself for the simple crime of being alive. RATED T for violence. NOT YOUR AVERAGE CLICHE HP/BLEACH CROSSOVER.
1. Chapter 1

Read, Review, and Enjoy.

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**Chapter 1**

**The Crime of Being Alive**

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What a victory! It wasn't everyday that the world ended. Everyone and everything, dressed in their splendid gore and lifeless forms added to the sense of triumph.

Death smiled and laughed. Yet another dimension was utterly destroyed. All who existed were now dead. His had claimed all their lives, one by one. And now this world will now rot along with their bodies, it will fade away into nothingness.

The thing that was Death laughed again, strolling about the corpses and taking in their horrified faces. They had all killed each other in some petty war over the possession of godlike power. How stupid. How utterly pointless. All meaningless in the end. All their hopes, dreams, and ambitions were all lost to the wind. No one was left to remember them.

Yet there was one.

The yellow eyes of Death fixed upon a thin figure, struggling to make his way across the bloodied ground. Strange…a lone survivor…

* * *

Though injured in many places, blood marring half his face and staining most of his orange hair, Ichigo Kurosaki was still alive, the last person alive in the world. He was having trouble believing it though. That was to say that he was currently in denial. It was not unexpected when one is faced with such a horrible apocalyptic reality. But for now, one goal was fixed in his weakened state. _Get to the body just across the floor._ She couldn't be dead. Couldn't be gone. It was impossible. All who he was today had started with her.

"Rukia!" he shouted, coughing up blood in the effort of speaking. He was almost there, only feet away. That small limp body on the floor just ahead still had to be alive.

"You still won't die then, Ichigo Kurosaki?" a chilling voice froze him in his tracks. He turned to see the speaker and was appalled. A monstrous figure, hideous to behold was leering over the Substitute Soul Reaper with a rather angry expression on its face.

"Such a grave error of yours, one you have repeated so often in the past. But now that everyone has left you, this crime of yours cannot be overlooked."

"W—what are you saying?" the boy stammered. "What did I do?"

"I cannot claim your soul," stated Death, smiling widely. "You mock me by merely existing. But you will not go unpunished, no; I will make your life a living hell." The monster seized Ichigo by the throat and held him up so they were at eye level, yellow eyes staring into amber. "I cannot kill you. I can only claim the life that has been released. You are still alive at the end of all things. By all rights, this should never be. Yet here you are, quite living and breathing, caring none the less. You have broken a sacred rule long made in ages past. Your defiance of following the natural order of all things even surprises me. As such, I am going to make sure of your suffering for all eternity. This sin of yours will forever haunt you. I am granting you the curse of immortality." Ichigo's body shuttered and twitched under Death's boney hands. An 'X' appeared across his chest, tattooed on the skin. His wounds started to heal themselves.

"You are going to live to see all the worlds crumble into darkness. Your life shall be restless, doomed to wander and never linger as years drain away. Watch everyone around you die and rot till the end of the of all things. You were supposed to die today, but now you shall live. Live this life of hell I've given you. Suffer in the worst ways imaginable. And after countless years of pain and madness, I'll finally claim your soul."

Death released his hold on the boy's throat who in turn crumpled to the ground, panting and letting out something close to a whimper. Pain was radiating from the new **X **tattoo emblazoned across his chest that drained all his remaining strength. Death watched him for a few minutes, anger now gone and replaced with a sadistic attitude.

"Just because you're immortal, doesn't mean you're invincible." He smiled cruelly. "You can be beaten down till the last thread of your life remains."

Ichigo remained silent. His limbs were shaking and pupils dilating. He either didn't care or didn't have enough strength to protest when the monster called Death grabbed a handful of his hair and started dragging him towards an unknown destination—leaving behind the empty shells of past friends and enemies. The world around them was crumbling, that last bit of life leaving the earth forever as the World of the Living, Hueco Mundo, Soul Society, Hell, and even the King's Realm started to collapse in on themselves.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Death commented, gesturing to the cracks and holes appearing in both sky and ground. "Remember this sight. You won't see it again for a long time."

The last of the Soul Reapers did not reply, he only groaned slightly as his orange locks were gripped even tighter as Death pulled him into a darkened room. It would seem that he would not remain conscious for long. His head was too muddled to take in much of his surroundings anymore. Too much had happened.

"Here we go, Ichigo Kurosaki," said Death. With his free hand, the monster slashed at the air in front of them both. It split and opened up to reveal a wooden door way, coated with a white marble like texture.

"Your new home and world await…"

The door creaked open, showing a deserted field of dried grass and a huge blue sky. Death strolled casually inside along with the boy in tow just as his world broke apart and crumbled into nothingness. The door slammed shut behind them. Ichigo's limp form was tossed a few feet in front of Death as the monster inhaled the sickeningly sweet stench of life.

"This is what's called an 'alternate reality'. A new world with new laws of nature, new people, new life," Death spat on the ground with dislike. The plant his spit landed on withered away into dust. This seemed to cheer him up a bit, if only slightly. "I expect you'll lie there for a few weeks. Immortality isn't adapted to overnight. Well, have fun in this world." Death's yellow eyes lingered on the boy for a moment before he slithered away into his own reality, laughing at the fun that was to come.

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Hello crossover fans. Welcome to my first crossover as a fanfiction writer. Please read and review and tell me if this is any good.


	2. Chapter 2

Read, Review, and Enjoy.

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**Chapter 2**

**Beauty and the Monster**

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It was the year 4237 B.C. This 'alternate reality' timeline had already begun a few thousand years beforehand. Yet it did not change anything. Not for _him _at least. This was but a small portion of the hell that awaited him.

Time here seemed to drag at first. To Ichigo, his first year of an immortal life was torturous. All he could do at first was dwell on what had happened. The injustice of it all... But drowning himself in self-pity could only last so long. He had to make due, he had to live, for he had no choice.

Within the first week of regaining consciousness in the middle of nowhere, he had tried numerous ways of killing himself. The short term attempts included choking himself, impaling himself through the heart, cutting open his main artery, dismemberment, and beheading to name a few: Each equally painful in its own way. (Particularly the dismemberment and beheading) To his utmost dismay, his limbs seemed to reattach themselves or simply grow themselves back. It was an excruciatingly painful process; Cell by cell pulling each other together back again, compressing and amplifying the nerves. Not only that, but it was agonizingly slow.

Also, you would think that with such a massive cleaver, chopping off your own head would be a synch compared to the standard katana. Pity it wasn't. Like the dismemberment, his neck simply reattached its self to his body again, sending horrible shocking signals throughout his spinal cord. His body was spontaneously twitching for the remainder of the day.

The long term attempt to take his own life was to starve himself to death. But that didn't work out so well. Not eating food meant losing weight, deteriorating muscles, and far more stomach cramps than he preferred. It was more like torturing himself to death and Ichigo, being a guy who'd known too much pain in his lifetime, preferred the quick way to end it all.

There were three main reasons as to why Ichigo went to such great lengths to end his life there and then.

His first reason was to cheat and spite Death. Oh how he loathed him, cursed him every night before he dropped off to sleep, spat whenever the very thought of him invaded his mind.

His second reason was that there was no reason for him to keep on living. Everything he fought for, everything he protected had been ripped away from him; destroyed in the blink of an eye. They were gone out of everyone's minds but his own, left to claw at his insides. He'd seen enough, had enough…

The third was to test his newfound powers (if you could call them powers). Just how effective was this so called immortality? What was the extent of its abilities? Was there a limit?

But, as he painfully found out, there was no limit. He was, undoubtedly, immortal. And he hated it.

Giving up all attempts to put an end to his life, he turned to a more pressing matter. There was something else he needed to figure out.

This was an entire new world with a whole new essence. In his home world, the main source of power was reishi. But that was not the case here. There were no Hollows, no Soul Reapers, and no spiritual pressure. There was none of that, save himself. The only Hollow that was in existence was none other than his inner Hollow.

His Hollow proclaimed very proudly, while doing a victory dance inside Ichigo's head, that he was the strongest thing in existence. Thankfully, Zangetsu shut him up after that because he was being downright annoying (and proving the Hollow wrong by the way he overpowered the bothersome albino leech), giving Ichigo a migraine with all the shouting and whining. He'd had enough of the 'horsey stampede' victory dance.

All the same, it wasn't a pleasant idea, being the last of the Soul Reapers, but then he wasn't exactly a full-fledged Soul Reaper himself. Still, the thought was rather depressing.

The last of a race long extinct into the sands of time.

The last Soul Reaper and Hollow all meshed into one messed up being. That statement pretty much defined him.

His abilities still worked. He could still fire a Getsuga, still hollowfy, go bankai, regenerate, flashstep/sonido, and perform kidō. It seemed that anything that required his own spiritual power, he could still do. Strangely, it was much more destructive here than it ever would have been back home. Perhaps it had something to do with inducing a foreign element to this dimension.

Konso wouldn't work, nor would spirit ribbons. He couldn't gather spirit particles and 'walk' on air either, but if he emitted enough of his own energy, he could stabilize and emit enough power to perform the same technique. Ichigo wasn't completely surprised with this fact. After all, this was a completely new element, new dimensions. This was to be expected. Although there was a certain pattern to this world that paralleled his own. The 'souls' here were overall the same as they ever were, but it seemed the process of 'passing on' was much more efficient in this reality. Souls could actually stay in the mortal world if they so chose (though it wasn't recommended). There were no chains of fate, since there were no hollows.

Needless to say, this new world made up for it. There were many strange creatures, most looking like the sorts that you would see in mythical themed books. Ichigo would have a rather hard time with one, namely a chimaera. He would say rather fondly afterwards, that it was probably the scariest thing that had ever happened to him.

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He had been walking aimlessly, as he always did, never staying anywhere too long, along a beaten path in some forgotten forest that humans had yet to discover. It was a dark, wooded place, the air was musty and still with no wind. There were no birds, no streams, and no sounds. It seemed as if the whole world was holding its breath. Ichigo couldn't shake the feeling that impending doom was about to come crashing down upon him.

There was a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye and he turned only to see the most terrifying creature lunging at him before he was bowled over. Claws ripped and tore at his soft tender human flesh. He was pinned underneath the almost bird-like claws that were pressing mercilessly on his limbs. The vicious lion head roared in his face while a snake tail started rapping its self around the Soul Reaper's bleeding body, insuring no escape. A goat head with sharp piranha like fangs sniffed his body hungrily, its red eyes coming to linger on the **X**. Then monster froze; all six eyes were fixed curiously on the cursed scar. Ichigo took that opportunity to pulse out his spiritual pressure, the black tentacles of power exploding from his body and causing the chimaera to howl with pain and release its grasp. It warily backed away, snarling and spitting. The serpent tail was spewing fire angrily, lashing back and forth like a cat.

Ichigo could feel his wounds healing; the pain was a distant throb in the back of his mind. And slowly, very slowly, his started to inch away. The three pairs of red eyes followed his movements, observing with a newfound respect. This death god hollow was the scarier monster—he was a marked man. That much the chimaera understood.

* * *

The same thing happened ten years later when Ichigo stumbled upon a black, thorny dragon high up on a mountain. When the **X** on his chest came to light—at the cost of a burnt limb—it too backed down.

All the creatures feared him. His destructive power struck terror into the bravest of souls. And that mark of Death warning those to stay away, less they too would be cursed by the one who was damned.

Needless to say, humans, who relied on their mind instead of instinct, did not share this commonsense. Ichigo mostly avoided contact with humans because they always tried to kill him. Apparently, orange colored hair was still considered to mean 'freak' and was earning him an infamous reputation. It became a common occurrence to be on the run from humans. Thankfully, their settlements were easy enough to avoid. Yet there was the matter of provisions and clothing. Having no money, he worked for his possessions. Didn't care much for shelter though, the hard, cold ground outside was good enough for him. And besides, he couldn't settle. The **X** had given him a sense of restlessness. Staying in one place longer than a few days was torture to him. And living in a house would only increase that suffering and temptation. Not that many offered him that rare luxury of a roof and bed.

He was called by many the 'Lone Demon', used as a scary story to frighten children into obeying or fear the demon slicing them in two with his hellion sword. Ichigo was known for always wearing a long ratted cape with a low hood, growing sick of wearing nothing but his hakama and shihakusho; he took to tighter fitting clothes so he could move fast. But he kept his Soul Reaper clothes with him, as a reminder… Zangetsu was always tethered to his back, intimidating to many, fearing they be cut in half if they so much as looked at him. Over the course of fifty years, the Lone Demon learned around seventeen different languages, traveling over 70,000 miles across land. He always left behind an **X **to show he'd been there. It helped him remember where things were.

But no matter where he went, what he did, who he met, or what happened to him, Ichigo still remained as much as he ever was. Still protecting those he came across who were in need, still like that rebellious sixteen year old who was a stubborn as a mule, and still insanely strong.

His first friend so to speak was no man or woman; they wouldn't dare to approach _him_. Any grown human with enough rational sense tended to avoid him. Yet it was a blissful innocent child who first made contact with the beast, who could see more truth than her misguided parents.

What the adults would see was an uncontrollable, unpredictable monster from the abyss of hell who hated anyone who just so happened to have the misfortune to crossing his path.

What the little five year old girl saw was a sad boy who needed company.

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Azrael giggled with delight when she spotted him. There he was, hunched beneath a tree, his hood hiding his face as he scribbled something in the dust with a broken twig. She stumbled over her short legs in her haste to reach him.

"Hey! Loney!" she called out, waving her hands about in excitement.

Gradually, the monster twisted his head in her direction, allowing a small smile to grace his lips.

"Hello, little one."

The petite child halted unsteadily, panting as she stood before him, her long messy hair hung across half of her face.

"Loney, guess what?" She was hiding something behind her back, a big secretive grin on her face. When the one under the hood didn't reply, she showed him anyway. In her small hands were a dozen crimson flower petals. "See? Pretty."

The hooded monster said nothing, but nodded encouragingly at the girl. Laughing merrily, Azrael spun about in a circle, throwing the petals to the air as she did so. And with a wave of her arms they were dancing around her, spinning and flying in a graceful movement. She was the wind, and the petals answered her call. As she skipped around the tree, they followed, caught up in her excitement. It was an enchanting moment. And when all was said in finished, they finally fell to the dust.

Their eyes met.

"Magical," said the monster, his sad smile causing the girl to kneel beside him and pat his arm.

"You don't have to be happy if you don't want to."

He didn't reply, but let his smile fall away. Green eyes flickered from his frown to his eyes, then to the scribbled drawing in the dust as his feet.

"Loney, you miss your family, don't you?"

The monster stiffened, then relaxed.

"Yeah…" His voice trembled slightly. Azrael sat comfortably at his side, nodding with understanding.

"They're gone…aren't they?" He looked down at the child, now drawing with a stubby finger in the dust.

"Yeah…they're gone…"

"Mommy and brother are gone too."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too, but I'll see them again someday!" The girl looked up at him. Her face was confident, despite the single tear staining her cheek.

"You sure?" the monster couldn't help but voice his doubts. But the little child laughed it all away, wiping her cheek.

"Positive."

* * *

Azrael was a good friend to Ichigo. They would meet once a month where she would show him a new 'trick' she learned. But Ichigo wasn't fooled. It was the power. It was magic. In turn, he would show her a 'trick' as well like playing with a ball of spirit energy or walking on air.

It was…nice, talking with someone for a change. Someone who could talk back—someone who wasn't a hollow or zanpakutou spirit—someone who was human.

She was so lively and happy though slightly spunky. To Ichigo, Azrael was a little sister, reminding him painfully of Yuzu and Karin…

That's why after three months, that it was so painful.

* * *

"WITCH!"

"BURN HER! KILL HER!"

"EVIL!"

"CRUSH THE DEVIL OUT OF HER!"

Ichigo had heard the cries from far off. A sickening horror filled his insides. He flash-stepped to the edge of town, maintaining a safe distance in the shadows in case of drawing unwanted attention.

There was a mob in the middle of town, thick as thieves and wild as chimaeras. Ichigo inched closer, stricken with fear. Suddenly, there was a great cheer. Mother clutched children thankfully, relieved that their sons and daughters were safe. Men raised their weapons proudly to the sky. The deed was done.

Humans fear what they do not understand and stand in awe before the impossible. They strike out when fearful and run when they can stand it no more.

Ichigo found himself staring at the small grave he'd just dug, almost refusing to lay to rest the small innocent child inside.

* * *

He'd found her, impaled through the heart in the middle of the street. Clumps of hair were missing from her scalp, obviously pulled off. Her arms were twisted to all the wrong angles. Bruises marred her face. Blood was dripping from her mouth.

Without words, he stooped down and picked up her body, cradling her in his skinny arms. He had then turned and made his way to their meeting place.

"You're safe now," He whispered.

After laying the child against the tree, he'd got down on his hands and knees and dug. It didn't matter if a nail got torn or that his hands were now covered with dirt. All that mattered was this little human who'd only had five years of life.

He couldn't speak. She was in his arms, limp and unmoving. It was time to say good bye. But he didn't know what to say. Her cold body was still oozing blood, trickling the life giving substance down his clothes.

He found himself crying at the loss of someone so young, someone who committed no crime. All she was, all she could have been…was gone. She was different than normal humans, and for that, they had killed her. It wasn't fair. She loved the world. She loved people. She meant no harm. Why couldn't they see that? Why couldn't they love her back?

"Farewell, little friend," he said and kissed her forehead. "Sleep and live on…be happy with your mother and brother…and say…'hi' to my family, ok?"

And with that, he gently laid his adopted sister in the grave and buried her.

It was one of the hardest things he'd ever done.

After marking the spot, he made a vow on her grave, that he would make a world where people like her would be accepted. He would make a safe haven for those with magic, especially children. This was a cruel world, but just because you get beaten down, doesn't mean you can't get back up.

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Ah, hello crossover fans yet again. I apologize for the delay. My only excuse is that I wanted this chapter to be good. I'm also sorry of this was a little boring. But things need to be explained. I tried to fill in all the plot holes...I hope I did alright.

I must say, I am rather proud of this chapter. I made myself cry when I 'killed' Azrael. But it probably didn't help that I was listening to depressing music to start with anyway. lol

If you have ideas for this story, please tell me. I am open to suggestions, as long as it isn't too OOC.


	3. Chapter 3

Read, Review, and Enjoy.

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**Chapter 3**

**All he has, All he lost**

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Life is short. Most prefer never to concern themselves with that fact, forgetting how precious time is. Each moment spent with those you love and those who love you in return can be taken away in an instant. It is an uncomfortable and horrible thought. Yet it is truth.

Always has been, always will be.

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Date: 2013 January 2

Place: Living World, Karakura Town/61 Meters in the air

Time left till destruction: 2 hours.

The war had been long. Too long…

Each day, there would be a higher death count, more grieving, the hardening of hearts, and swearing vengeance.

Each day was the same. Fight, fall back, charge, and fight again.

Nothing was to be gained but bloodshed. It was inevitable that they'd lose. But they kept fighting anyway. Their reasons for doing so became twisted and forgotten. You forget those sorts of things when you're fighting for your life, killing countless opponents after a long period of time. And before they know it, their sanity leaves to abandon them to their deaths. But there were a few who did not forget. Some still fought with a reason bet it petty or not. Whether it was pride, honor, promises, vows, curses, family, glory, duty bound, the sheer fun of killing, the future, or just the desire for peace. But no matter what it was; war took its toll on them just the same. All were left empty inside. There were the old, who knew what to expect yet were caught off guard. And there was young, whose innocence would never be reclaimed; eyes seeing horrors that should have never meant to be seen.

Aizen's defect and trivial war had somehow turned into a wide-spread chaotic mess. Even he had not foreseen how long his little skirmish would last. Perhaps he did not expect the Soul Society to fight back with such ferocity, with such drive. He had been counting on the old fools to make the predictable decisions of the past. Regrettably, it was not to be. He hadn't taken into account of the new blood that had made its way into the Soul Society ranks. Admirable efforts had been made and wiser strategies had been laid out. It had been troublesome, yet in spite of their efforts; Aizen still got what he wanted. It only took longer to achieve.

Three months into the Winter War, Aizen succeeded in making the Oken by destroying Karakura town. It however, was only made possible with a heavy loss to his side.

It had been a simple plan. While concentrating his forces on the defense of Hueco Mundo and another invasion in the Soul Society, the traitorous Soul Reaper would slip away from the battle and go to Karakura.

It would be child's play.

Only Ichigo Kurosaki had been left to protect Karakura town from Arrancars. And the only people on his defensive team were Uryu Ishida and Yoruichi Shihouin. Urahara Kisuke, Tessai, and the Vizards were in Hueco Mundo with the invasion force; their goal was trying to reduce the seeming endless arrancar population. That mission held little success. Yoruichi had stayed behind to help take care of Ichigo, who was still recovering from a rather horrific experience in the past two weeks, part of the reason why he'd been left behind to stay and protect in his hometown.

* * *

Date: 2012 December 1

Place: Hueco Mundo, Las Noches/Throne Room

Time left till destruction: 31 days, 5 hours, 42 minutes.

After the first two months into a nonproductive war, it came to Aizen's attention that half the reason why his arrancars and Espadas were failing to make any progress whatsoever was due to the efforts Ichigo Kurosaki's defensive team. His band of ryoka with their unusual power had caused enough havoc as it was, though the boy himself was most of the problem. The human boy possessed nearly unlimited power and potential. His odd charisma seemed to add fuel to the fire of resistance. The ryoka were nearly unstoppable with the boy in the lead, smiting all hollows that were unfortunate enough to get in their way. Reports kept coming in; the boy's daring exploits were becoming infamous in Las Noches. Then there was the fiasco where the boy had single handedly broken in the prison block (that was on lockdown) and released all the prisoners that had been held there.

Complaints kept coming in from the Espada for loss of fraccion, demanding that the human Vizard be put to a stop. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez had personally requested that he be sent to kill the hybrid. Somehow overlooking the many times he'd been beaten by the said boy.

Aizen thought carefully. He had long since decided in making his ultimate enemy. The boy would become stronger and stronger until he could fight Aizen; this much Aizen had made sure of. He had it all planned out. It was an experiment after all, a test. Aizen himself being so powerful, it was rather boring not to have any challenge. It would be an empty victory to claim godhood if there was no reasonable opposition to begin with. Creating an enemy who would rise beyond the limits, as Aizen himself had done, would be his greatest source of entertainment yet.

But Aizen was impatient. He needed to give the boy more drive so he could be one step closer to achieving that desired level. Just a little more prompting and then the fun would start. Yet as Aizen grudgingly admitted, the boy _was_ becoming a bother to his other plans. The boy had put an end to all attempts at entry to Karakura town along with Urahara Kisuke. Arrancar raiding parties were ambushed regularly by his team, not to mention taking out a few high ranking Arrancars along the way. That group of ryoka, that boy was the deciding factor in this war. If left alone, the war would drag on for more than just a few months. Resources would run thin in no time and recruiting arrancars was such a bother.

However, if the boy was removed from the equation for a while, the way for progress would be made clear. A few weeks was all Aizen needed…nothing too extensive. Just a little more preparation without interference and then Karakura town would be his for the destroying. The Oken would be his for the taking. And the boy would not rest until he killed Aizen.

* * *

Time: 2012 December 2

Place: Hueco Mundo, outskirts/white rocks

Time left till destruction: 30 days, 17 hours, 3 minutes

And thus, Ulquiorra was sent to deal with the ryoka.

The fourth thought it was strange why Lord Aizen would bother with such an order. The hybrid-trash needed to be destroyed, not spared. Yet Lord Aizen had spoken, and therefore must be obeyed.

It was slightly harder than Ulquiorra had anticipated. The hybrid-trash put up a good fight, being the hard to kill hybrid-trash that he was. His team was well trained too. Still, they were easily over powered by the fourth. After pinning the hybrid-trash to the ground with his sword, Ulquiorra then disposed of the two humans. The Quincy-trash had been left alive, but would die soon if not given treatment. The fourth did not bother finishing him off because reinforcements were bound to show up. Ulquiorra had then quickly placed a spiritual pressure-sealing collar around the hybrid-trash's throat and dragged him by the neck back to Los Noches before anyone could stop them.

* * *

Time: 2012 December 2

Place: Hueco Mundo, Las Noches/lowest level.

Time left till destruction: 30 days, 15 hours, 36 minutes

To say Ichigo was having a bad time would be an understatement. He was chained to the grimy floor in some dank part of Las Noches he'd never even known existed, unable to move or even speak. Blood oozed from the open cuts and gashes all over his body. However, his enemy didn't seem to care that his wounds would soon become infected. In fact, they were rather displeased with him at the moment.

The first time someone tried to enter his cell, he greeted the arrancar with a solid punch to the nose, breaking it. That was when his enemy decided to chain his hands behind his back. Giving him enough links to stand up, but not move around.

The second time someone made their way into his cell, he broke a few of their ribs with a well aimed kick, prompting the arrancars to chain his feet tightly to the floor, letting him stand, but only just.

The third time was when he broke the jaw of some poor arrancar with solid head butt to the chin. They took no chances this time, chaining his neck to the floor so Ichigo was in a permanent hunched position, they even went so far as to put a mask-like gag over his mouth after he started snapping at anyone's fingers that got too close.

So he sat hunched in pain in the middle of his cell after they finally left him alone, his arms chained crudely behind his back, head resting on the blood covered floor, unable to even voice a groan due to the jaw restraining muzzle. His feet were losing all feeling and his mind was slipping into a feverish state.

Part of him wondered if anyone was looking for him. Not that anyone knew exactly where to look. Ishida might be of some help to them, if the Quincy was still alive…No, best not to keep up hopes. If Uryu was dead, there would be no one to tell that Ichigo was still alive. Aizen had long stopped capturing Soul Reapers alive. Now it was all about thinning down the Soul Reaper's forces. Civility and honor had long been discarded, particularly after the prison break.

The other part of him was saying he deserved this suffering. He failed to save Chad and Orihime from Ulquiorra's cero blast. He'd watched, helpless, pinned to the ground like some weak animal caught in a trap. Ulquiorra had surveyed him curiously as he cried out, forced to watch his friends slaughtered. Once the smoke had cleared, revealing that not a trace had been left, Ishida had then charged bravely at Ulquiorra, raw emotion quite visible on his face. He defied odds and managed to land a wound on the Espada. But as Ichigo had found out painfully two months earlier, Ulquiorra was gifted with high speed regeneration. The fight didn't last much longer after that. The Quincy was cut down with apparent ease, Ulquiorra's hand lodged firmly in his gut.

It was then that Ichigo had started to close control. He was so angry that all he could see was red. His inner hollow was screaming for vengeance, offering him peace of mind in exchange for control. Did the cocky Espada really think they could just get away with this crime? Chad, Uryu, and Orihime must be avenged. Ulquiorra should be ripped apart limb from limb in punishment. No more suffering. No more rain. No more friends dying. Ichigo let darkness consume him, giving in to his inner demon.

But it was short lived. Ulquiorra had been on the receiving end of Ichigo's hollow rage one too many times not to know what would follow. He swiftly crushed the forming mask with a sandaled foot and quickly sealed Ichigo's spirit energy, sending him into physiological and physical shock.

The monstrous reiryoku consuming collar made Ichigo feel unbearably ill. Sicker than he'd ever felt in his life. It was like having an arm chopped off while coming down with the flu. He couldn't move as his body started shaking uncontrollably. Spasms came and went, his body trying to adjust to the lack of oozing reiatsu.

It was foreign.

Unnatural.

He was so stricken that he didn't even notice Ulquiorra's hand around his throat, dragging him across the moonlit desert. It was only when they were nearing Los Nochas did he actually feel well enough to 'take in' his surroundings. His body started to adjust to the reduced power. Ichigo suddenly found himself able to move again, wasting no time throwing a punch at Ulquiorra's side.

It felt like hitting a stone wall. The Espada himself didn't seem to feel a thing and continued dragging him over another sand dune.

Cursing at his lack of power, Ichigo could only spit his displeasure as the grip around his throat tightened.

Then came the cell, being pinned to the floor with chains, then the silence that suffocated him.

Seconds became minutes, minutes became hours. The pain from his wounds filled his mind till it was all he could think about. Each minute to him felt like eternity.

After what must of been a day or so he heard a lock click and footsteps but didn't bother to look up. Someone injected a needle in his limp arm, startling him slightly. But there was nothing he could do to stop it, only embrace the induced sleep willingly. Apparently they didn't trust him conscious and unbound, seeing how he always hit the nearest hollow within arm's reach. He concluded this after he woke up, still chained to the floor but his wounds treated and bandaged.

There was something bothering Ichigo. His enemy needed him alive for some purpose. They went out of their way to insure his solitaire confinement, treat his wounds, and give him food and drink. Why? What was the purpose of keeping an enemy like him alive?

A hostage perhaps? No, that didn't seem likely and appeared rather desperate. He wasn't that valuable to the Soul Society anyway.

Bait then? To lure in his friends on some foolhardy rescue mission? More probable, but still a no. Ulquiorra wouldn't of been so careless to leave Uryu mortally wounded, the only witness to Ichigo's capture.

Information? That was likely, but he didn't have any knowledge of importance or value to Aizen. No one had tortured him for information…yet… All they'd done was lock him in this horrid cell.

Just for fun? Ichigo had long known that Aizen had a rather sadistic sense of humor. It would probably be amusing to toy with and break Ichigo. All just to prove that he could, even if there was no useful gain from doing so.

It seemed that the last conclusion was the right one. No more than a day had passed before Aizen himself strode into Ichigo's cell, bringing a few lackeys with to unchain the boy. The Arrancars were slightly hesitant in doing so, but the presence of their lord gave them a new reason to ignore certain risks. The manacles and muzzle fell to the ground, releasing Ichigo to whatever Aizen had in store for him. After the Arrancars left though the door, locking it behind them, Aizen fulfilled Ichigo's prediction of 'just for fun'.

It had begun with the man lifting Ichigo up by the reiryoku eating collar, choking him slowly, enjoying the panicked look on Ichigo's face when he could no longer breathe air while clawing fruitlessly at the steel like hands that held him dangling. And just when Ichigo thought his lungs would explode, Aizen let him drop to the floor coughing and spluttering. But no sooner than he'd regain his bearings, he felt a sword prick on the side of his face. Aizen's zanpakutou had been drawn and all thoughts of living through this seemed to fly out of Ichigo's brain.

The blade decided to start gently slicing at his back, light scrapes at first, yet as time went on, it cut deeper and deeper. A sandaled foot, wet and sticky with Ichigo's blood was pressing firmly on his head, preventing escape.

Ichigo's mind wasn't working properly, overwhelmed with the pain and loss of blood. Yet he needed to focus. Right now his sole purpose, his very existence needed to be concentrated on not letting any weakness show. He must do nothing. He would not amuse Aizen with pitiful cries of pain. It was what he wanted, wasn't it? Aizen wanted Ichigo to despair, to relish in the fact that he could do nothing while the man striving to be god beat him to the ground.

The sword had stopped cutting, seemingly satisfied with the damage it had done. Yet Aizen was not. He lifted Ichigo's damaged body by the face and threw him into the wall. Aizen started taunting him, slamming Ichigo into the wall again and again, crushing his head into the rock until; at last, a cry of pain escaped him. A sign of weakness was all the encouragement needed. Aizen plunged his zanpakutou deep into Ichigo's shoulder, twisting cruelly it until the latter was screaming and writhing. He then plucked the blade and let Ichigo collapse onto the floor, pale and weak from the damage and loss of blood. The torturer let his victim rest for a moment, pretending to be finished, then a wicked smile and a laugh.

Ichigo felt the right side of his face become raw, no longer able to see after being grounded into the stone from Aizen's scraping it across the length of the room. His mind was slipping again. The pain was numbing all other thoughts of sense and reason. He could feel Aizen's cold hands gripping his throat, raising his limp body up in the air.

"No fighting back? Come now Ichigo, where's that stubbornness you're so infamous for? Are you going to give up so easily? Don't you have a reason for fighting back?"

Ichigo said nothing. Aizen smiled.

"Though, I must say I'm impressed you can endure this for so long without passing out. Your stamina has always been extraordinary I must say. Though I'm sure Grimmjow repeatedly stabbing you in the stomach helped your endurance improve…I'm curious to see just how long it lasts, aren't you?"

* * *

Time: 2012 December 19

Place: Hueco Mundo, Las Noches/cellblock

Time left till destruction: 13 days, 21 hours, 2 minutes

Yoruichi was troubled as a rather unfortunate dilemma was presented before her.

She had, of course, assumed that Ichigo would be held here in the prison block. That assumption had been wrong.

_Stupid Kisuke, gathering useless information_…

She and Urahara had carefully planned this little exertion for the past week, fueled with vengeance for the annihilation of the defensive team. Aizen's forces in the mist of confusion of the disappearance and lack of the 'ryoka band' had taken advantage and were now regularly attacking. It was hard to plan while raid upon raid was made upon Karakura, each attack stronger and bolder than the last. It was only a matter of time before the barrier around the town was destroyed.

Because of the chaos, information had been hard to come by. Uryu Ishida had taken about a week to wake from his coma, finally able to tell what had happened, finally able to relive the chilling tale of Orihime and Sado's demise and Ichigo's capture. Most had been surprised to hear that the young hybrid still lived. It was widely known that Aizen took no prisoners. Kisuke himself had thought it odd, yet only voiced his concern to herself and Tessai. Yoruichi only prayed that Ichigo was still alive. Too much time had passed and she hated to think what would be left of him once they retrieved him. _If _they could…

Finally all was prepared and the Flash Goddess was at last able to slip past enemy lines and infiltrate deep into Las Noches, the layout of the enormous desert castle memorized. And yet after all the sneaking around the Espada and Arrancar and slipping in undetected into the prison vault, it was rather disheartening to come up empty.

Yoruichi frowned. Where would they be keeping Ichigo if not a prison cell? It was strange because wherever he was, there had to be plenty of Seki-Seki stone surrounding him. This conclusion was made because not even a trace of his reiatsu could be sensed.

However, while there was no hope in finding him via spiritual pressure, there was a way to sense Seki-Seki. However that method required letting out a pulse of spiritual pressure. If she did that, the enemy would be alerted to her unwelcome presence. And the last thing she would need would be Aizen hot on her tail. True, no one could out run her, but it would be such a bother.

She sighed deeply. There was nothing for it.

As she pinpointed a large clump of spiritual pressure resisting rock, alarms blared in every corridor, warning the lowliest arrancar to Aizen himself of intruders.

Wasting no time, she raced downwards, smashing through levels of empty rooms towards the place she suspected Ichigo was. Yoruichi found herself on the old foundations of Los Nochas outside a small square room. There wasn't a guard in sight so she promptly kicked down the door.

Blood spatters cover the walls, giving the impression that the Seki-Seki was permanently dyed red. In the center of the room, hunched over and crumpled pathetically was Ichigo. She knew it was him because the few strands of hair that weren't covered in blood were shockingly orange.

A dull amber eye opened and glanced up at her figure, widening in surprise and disbelief.

She rushed over to his side, frowning angrily at the cruelly placed chains, breaking them easily with her fist. The muzzle that covered his face, brutally muting his voice box was not spared. Nor was the reiryoku eating collar, crunching nicely beneath her heel. Her fury only increased when the condition her student was in was put into full light. Countless wounds that must go all the way through covered his chest area. It was a miracle he was still alive. His back was torn open, bone visible through the mangled flesh, though it did seem it had been crudely healed somewhat. His legs were broken too, bent in odd directions. His swollen face, marred with bruises, was looking at her in confusion.

"Yoru-ichi…w-why errr ou ere?"

Pity replaced anger as she gave him a tender hug.

"To save you, stupid…"

The hoten in her hand was pressed lightly into his wounded back as she embraced him, rendering him unconscious within seconds. It was best to spare him from the discomfort of his current condition.

After performing first aid kidō on the worst of his wounds, convinced he would die then and there if she did not do otherwise, Yoruichi then activated the teleportation badge Urahara had given her just as the sounds of guards neared the door. Their surroundings spun at a sickening rate, slowly forming into the familiar room of Urahara Shoten. The badge fell to the ground, smoking slightly. It could only be used once.

Their sudden appearance startled those who were gathered there. But the shocking silence only lasted for a moment.

Urahara jumped to his feet and quickly helped Yoruichi move Ichigo into a suitable position so they could begin the long process of healing his wounds. Tessai activated a kidō healing barrier around them. In the back of the room stood Rukia Kuchiki, Uryu Ishida, Renji Abarai, and Hirako Shinji.

Rukia looked stunned, wide eyed and shaking slightly upon seeing the condition Ichigo was in. She was one of the only ones who had not lost hope in Ichigo's survival. If he died, she claimed that she would know. Yet when he appeared with Yoruichi, appearing as if he went to hell and back, her confidence appeared to fall a few notches.

Uryu looked like he was drowning in a mess of emotions. Though after all he'd been though and witnessed, who could blame him? His best friend…or enemy…or frienemy or whatever Ichigo was to him had been thought dead along with Sado and Orihime. Now here he was, beaten within an inch of his life, lying on the floor like a corpse.

Renji was busy comforting Rukia and trying to stop her from rushing to her friend's side, trying to ignore how Ichigo, who was like a little brother to him, was leaking a large amount of blood on the wooden floor.

Hirako was occupied with texting the rest of the Vizards and Isshin, a smirk on his face. Urahara Shoten would be crowded soon no doubt.

A half an hour later after the arrival of the Kurosaki family, Vizards, and a few Shinigami, Ichigo's condition was finally stabilized. Yoruichi sat down heavily, joined a second later by Kisuke. Their spiritual pressure was completely spent. Tessai ended the kido and joined them, looking as if he could of kept going for another day or two. It seemed Death would not claim another for his own tonight.

The Kurosaki family was gathered around Ichigo with everyone else standing back awkwardly. It was a slightly personal moment.

Ichigo's sisters were sitting by his side, Yuzu holding his bandaged hand and Karin comforting her twin. Isshin stood above them with a frown on his face that remarkably resembled his son's. Rukia stood next to him since he dragged her with him, claiming that his third daughter had no reason to stay away. He then when on to ramble about how much Ichigo needs Rukia and that he was expecting grandbabies as soon as possible.

Perhaps it was his way of venting out anxiety, or maybe he wanted to lighten the mood. For whatever the reason, Karin socked him in the jaw and shouted, "SHUT UP YOU OLD GEEZER!"

Byakuya looked up from a report he was writing over in a secluded corner to glance suspiciously, glaring from a blushing Rukia to an unconscious Ichigo. Disgruntled, he turned back to the mound of papers.

"Of all the people…"

Ichigo woke up not long after to Isshin and Karin in a full blown fight. At first his mind was telling him that this was an illusion, that Aizen was playing another mind game with him. But the things Isshin was shouting were a little too mortifying for even Aizen to know about.

"I expect at least ten grandkids from you too! All at once! That'd be even better!"

"JUST SHUT UP YOU PERVERT! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW PAINFUL THAT'D BE?!"

"The pain's worth it in the end! That's what Masaki said!"

"SHE ONLY HAD TWINS!"

"That's beside the point! Don't you want to make your father proud by having beautiful babies?!"

"NO! YOU'RE GROSS, OLD MAN!"

"Dad! Karin! Please stop!"

Everyone else in the room was focused on the family squabble like it was their favorite TV show. Ichigo raised an eyebrow and sat up. Had is father finally lost it?

"Oh Masaki! Why do our daughters hate me so much? I wish I could go back to the days when they were innocent and cute!" He pulled out embarrassing baby pictures from his wallet, Rukia staring over his shoulder wide-eyed.

"Is—is that Ichigo having a bath with his sisters!? He's so adorable!"

No. His father hadn't lost it. His father was dead. He was so very dead.

Ichigo sprung up from the cot he'd been on while ignoring the pain he felt in his back and many gasps from the audience. He crossed the room in a single bound, landing the hardest punch he could throw at his father's face while snatching the offending photos from prying eyes.

"WHY THE HECK ARE YOU CARRYING THESE AROUND WITH YOU, GOAT-FACE!? YOU GOT A DEATH WISH OR SOMETHING? AT LEAST TRY TO ACT LIKE A MATURE ADUL—"

"MY SON YOU'RE AWAKE!" Isshin yelled, pulling Ichigo into a bear hug, suffocating him more than Aizen ever could. Karin came to the rescue by putting Isshin into a choke hold screeching, "BACK OFF OLD MAN!"

Ichigo staggered away from the pair, catching his breath only to be knocked to the ground.

"You IDIOT! You're not supposed to be walking around!"

Anger pulsed through his insides as his cheek stung from Rukia's side kick.

"You're the idiot! What kind of person randomly goes around kicking injured people?!"

"If you can break your father's nose with a sissy punch, you can handle a wimpy kick!"

"That wasn't a sissy punch!" he protested, his male ego hurt slightly. "And your kicks are NEVER wimpy!" Rukia knelt down and pulled him up by the neck of his shirt.

"Just shut up you fool!" And she slammed her lips onto his, effectively shutting him up and sending his mind somewhere off in the clouds. He returned the kiss, rapping his arms around her and falling backwards onto the floor with Rukia on top of him.

Somewhere off in the background Isshin was crying with joy, still rattling on about grandbabies. Karin looked on in shock while Yuzu was squealing with joy. Yoruichi was laughing proudly saying something about her little student growing up. Hiyori and Mashiro were united in laughter while Lisa watched fascinated, taking notes for future reference. Byakuya fell out of his seat, his face livid. Renji went to stop his captain from committing murder. Kisuke was collecting winnings, Hirako and Uryu paying him handsomely for losing a certain bet.

The cheating shop keeper fluttered his fan annoyingly.

"Comedy, violence, drama, suspense, and a romantic ending to boot…I give it five stars!"

Everyone ignored him.

After a few seconds, Rukia seemed to have enough and pulled back, pushing herself off Ichigo's chest.

"Now," she said, panting slightly. "Lie down for a while, alright?"

Ichigo nodded dumbly, brain still trapped in the clouds somewhere. Rukia helped him back to his cot and sat down next to him, gently fingering his ginger locks. Kisuke walked up beside Rukia, murmured something in her ear then pushed everyone out of the room (Byakuya loudly protesting), leaving the two alone.

Ichigo's body was sore and his mind was not yet clear of that drug Yoruichi gave him. It was sorely tempting to fall back asleep, but he forced himself to stay awake. Rukia looked as if something was bothering her.

"Say…Rukia. Did Yoruichi get Zangetsu back for me? I don't really remember what happened to him."

"Yes, Zangetsu's in the storage room. Yoruichi got him for you."

"Oh…"

There was a pause, then, "Ichigo?"

"Yeah?"

"They want me to ask you what happened…"

Ichigo closed his eyes, sighed deeply, then opened them again.

"I figured as much…"

"It doesn't bother you?" She was surprised. He laughed.

"Of course it bothers me. I don't want to relive it ever again. But if _you_ ask me what happened, Rukia, I'll answer."

"You are willing to let me ask you, no matter what happened?"

"I doubt any question you could ask right now would bother me much."

"Mind telling me how old you were in that picture your dad has?"

He scowled at her triumphant grin.

"5 years old. Karin and Yuzu were around 15 months old."

She ruffled his hair affectionately.

"I was just teasing you, stupid idiot. You didn't have to answer that one…"

"Yeah yeah, save it for later will ya?" He sat up and turned to face her, looking down into her pensive eyes. "Right now, I wanna get this over with so I can sleep."

Rukia nodded encouragingly. "I'm ready."

Ichigo took a deep breath and began to tell the tale of the events that had taken place the last few weeks, about his friends' downfall and failed backup, how he fought until they chained him down, how Aizen tried to break Ichigo, the days of torture and insanity, of being beaten until he could move no more.

He didn't go into detail, settling for a less…violent version. But Rukia seemed to realize he wasn't telling the whole truth. His appearance earlier when Yoruichi brought him suggested a more brutal account than his own. She didn't say anything though because she understood him. She'd seen him at both his strongest and weakest points of life. For him to be open and honest about something so personally degrading and traumatic was a rare moment indeed.

Rukia listened silently, her expression unreadable. When Ichigo had finished, she got up, took one step forward, knelt down, and lovingly embraced him.

Ichigo could only vaguely compare it to being hugged by his mother a million years ago. It was warm and comfortable, the smell of her hair as she nuzzled her head into his shoulder, and how her grip was gentle yet firm. He felt strangely peaceful and content with her in his arms. He never wanted to leave her again. Because whenever she was around, the rain stopped.

"Thank you for not dying, Ichigo."

Rukia's words were muffled through his shirt, yet he heard them perfectly. He hugged her a little tighter.

"It's the least I can do for you…"

She held him a little longer before letting go, holding his shoulders at arm's length.

"What will you do now?"

No hesitation.

"Get stronger. I wasn't strong enough to save Chad, Uryu, and Orihime. I wasn't even strong enough to save myself. If I can't do that, how will I be able to protect my sisters? How will I be able to protect this town? How will I be able to protect you? I need to get stronger. I need to kill Aizen. I need to end this so everyone will be safe."

"I will be here to support you, fool. Don't forget that I want to protect you too."

He grinned at her arrogantly and pulled her back to himself and kissing her full on the mouth.

"Don't slow me down…"

"Idiot."

* * *

Date: 2013 January 2

Place: Living World, Karakura Town/61 Meters in the air

Time left till destruction: 1 hour, 54 minutes.

It was around 2 o' clock in the morning when Karakura fell, the Oken finally taking form in the wake of destruction.

No one had seen it coming. His attack came while the other forces were preoccupied in the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. By the time they realized their mistake, Aizen was half way there to the King's Realm, abandoning his forces to their ultimate defeat. Those that survived joined their enemy, the Espada and Soul Reapers alike united in hatred.

Ichigo no longer had a family. He had no friends left who were among the living. They'd all died in their sleep, fallen prey to Aizen's scheme.

His body had been destroyed, discarded as he joined his two friends for what was a hopeless battle. Aizen had clearly thought ahead, out maneuvering them with strategy and skill.

Using illusions to outwit Yoruichi, she never saw how Aizen sliced herself in half until it was too late.

Uryu, the wise strategist, had been caught in a Hadō 90 attack, impaled too many times to even have a hope of surviving.

Ichigo had been 'taken care of' long before they were killed. Early off into the fight, Aizen singled him out, hiding them both under an illusion from the Quincy and flash goddess. He never even got the chance of a 'fair' fight. Aizen had paralyzed him with a simple kidō and then dragged him away to a place just outside of town, pinning him there with Bakudō 99. Ichigo was then forced to watch Aizen destroy everything as his friends and family went up in flames, unable to lift a finger to stop him.

He cursed and strained against the kidō, vaguely remembering a similar situation in the shattered shaft. But he hadn't been exactly paralyzed when that had taken place.

This was beyond evil, what Aizen had done. An eternity in hell would be too easy a punishment for him. What Aizen had stolen could not be replaced. He must pay. He must suffer the most humiliating punishment he could endure.

Blind anger seemed to spark feeling back into Ichigo's limbs, words drenched in hatred forming on his lips as his grip on Tensa Zangetsu hardened, what he achieved in his hard training coming back to him full force.

"I will protect…Resurrection: Demon's Revenge."

The high level Bakudō crumbled away into dust, melting away to reveal a terrible beast.

An aura, quietly powerful and intimidating cracked and split the earth at its feet. Ichigo's dark bankai coat covered limbs that were deathly pale, red fur lining covering the trim. Two bull-like horns jutted out from a mask, yellow eyes glinting from behind the visor, focusing on a figure just above what remained of Karakura.

Aizen looked down just as he was about to enter the doorway into the King's Realm.

"Excellent—now, follow me to your fate, Ichigo Kurosaki…"

He flash stepped inside, narrowly avoiding an overpowered bala, Ichigo hot on his trail.

* * *

Date: 2013 January 2

Place: Living World, Remains of Karakura/50 Meters in the air

Time left till destruction: 36 minutes.

"If we do not hurry, the gate will close. The Oken's effects will not last forever," said Ulquiorra in his usual monotone voice, ignoring Grimmjow-trash's frequent cursing and Sixth Captain's distrusting stare.

The Espada was currently leading a group of Arrancars and Soul Reapers out of a gargantuan and towards what remained of Karakura.

His reasons for joining his long proclaimed enemies were simple. Boredom, everyone else was doing it, he would show up Grimmjow-trash by doing it first, and Aizen's contract with them was fulfilled.

Many of the Soul Reapers gawked at the desolation and horror of the effects of creating the Oken. Absolutely nothing remained. It was just one enormous crater, dust still rising from the abyss.

Traces of Aizen and hybrid-trash's spiritual pressure could be sensed, their trail leading towards a great golden door.

Ulquiorra shook his head in disapproval. The hybrid-trash was no doubt blinded by anger with his family and friends killed. His decisions were always ruled by his heart after all, and that was what made him so miserably easy to predict. He would fall by Aizen's trashy hand, slain easily by scum no longer worth following.

Grimmjow-trash was racing ahead towards the door, eager for battle with the hybrid-trash no doubt. How foolish and futile.

Ulquiorra easily sonidoed ahead for the former sixth, reaching the gate way first.

Surprisingly, a small raven haired Soul Reaper joined him a second later. She was seemingly eager to enter the King's Realm, even more so than Grimmjow-trash.

"You are Rukia Kuchiki are you not?" Ulquiorra asked, his green eyes studying the short woman in front of him.

She spared him a glance, "What is it to you?"

The former forth shrugged casually, "Just observing... You're the woman that belongs to the hybrid-trash."

"Hybrid-what? Ugh, never mind. Just get out of my way." She pushed past him and sped through the gate.

"Interesting…"

* * *

Date: 2013 January 2

Place: King's Realm, Palace/Throne Room

Time left till destruction: 29 minutes.

Ichigo had long since used up all the swear words that he knew. Really…where exactly _did_ the Royal Guard's loyalty lie? One minute they were all for defending the Spirit King. But then Aizen went and showed off his spiritual pressure. Now they were rooting for him, even fighting for him…the cowards…

Ichigo swore yet again as he tried to fight his way through the hoard of Royal Guards, determined to stop Aizen from murdering the Spirit King. No such luck. Even though Ichigo was far stronger than these pathetic soldiers, he was outnumbered three hundred to one.

"Die hollow filth!"

Ichigo blocked an incoming sword with his hand, not even bothering to look, then counterattacking back with an overpowered cero. This was becoming a bother, such a waste of energy. He'd been training to fight on equal ground with Aizen, not with old, retired captains.

"'hollow filth' eh? Isn't that a bit cliché? Why can't it be 'hybrid filth'? At least that would be more accurate—although, I'm technically not a hybrid since that involves just two species. I'm three species…so what would that make me?" Ichigo contemplated this while lazily firing off a couple balas, completely destroying the Royal Guard who attacked him. He was probably something along the lines of what most call a 'freak' or a—

"—a piece of immature, reckless, moody,_ trash_."

"Oh, hello Ulquiorra, when did you get here?" Ichigo watched as the said Arrancar took out two more Royal Guards. "And stop calling everything trash (particularly me). People will think you're an obsessive, stuck up garbage collector."

"You don't make much sense, Ichigo Kurosaki. As for your question—I arrived just now with your woman, Grimmjow-trash, some Soul Reapers, and the Vizard. We have come to stop Aizen from killing the Soul King and seizing power."

"Thought so," Ichigo fired a large red cero, taking out a wall and a good amount of Royal Guards. "Wait, what do you mean my woma—?"

A finger tapped his shoulder. He turned to find Rukia standing behind him. She gave him a faint, sad smile. But it was not for the hollow mask she saw.

"I saw what happened…."

She brought back the memories of Karakura. Ichigo had been so preoccupied with the current battle and his anger; he'd momentarily forgotten the deaths. How could he be so heartless? Here he was fighting without giving his family a thought. A hurricane of emotions threatened to consume him, much to his inner hollow's and Zangetsu's protests. His face hardened with resolve.

"Their deaths will be avenged."

A sucker punch found its way to his stomach, leaving him clutching at his aching innards with Rukia staring reproachfully at his bent form.

"Ichigo, do not fall for something as trivial as revenge. Aizen killed your friends and family. They're gone, unable to come back. It hurts, I know it does. Your pain is mine. Failure and powerlessness are your greatest enemies, not Aizen. So know this Ichigo. If you go into battle with nothing but vengeance on your heart, you will die. I know you, Ichigo!" She pounded on his chest with her small fists as if it would help to drill meaning into his soul. "The only way you fight your hardest, the meaning for your name, the reason why you plunged a sword in your heart to gain Soul Reaper powers is because you want to _protect_, Ichigo! Protect what you have left, save what you have and don't dwell on past mistakes, live and defeat all who threaten to protect the ones you care about! You can accomplish that, I know you can!"

He grasped her wrists, hands trembling slightly. Anger faded away into the back of his mind.

"I will."

She did not flinch at the hollow-like echo to his voice, but smiled at the sincerity. He released her arms as she stood up on the tips of her toes and kissed the ever smiling hollow mask.

For once, the inner hollow was silent. Ichigo grinned underneath the mask as Rukia pulled away.

"My hollow side enjoyed that," he said while a stubborn yet embarrassed voice from the back of his mind mumbled something that sounded like 'shut up'.

"Of course he did," she almost laughed. "Now hurry. Urahara says you have around five minutes to get to Aizen before he reaches the Soul King."

"How does he—"

"Ichigo Kurosaki, I do not appreciate being the only one fighting here while you lollygag around. Listen to your woman and defeat Aizen. Leave before Grimmjow-trash spots you."

The only response that Ichigo could think of was, "Oh…" before Rukia shoved him forward.

* * *

Date: 2013 January 2

Place: King's Realm, Palace/Hidden Chambers

Time left till destruction: 25 minutes.

Aizen strode calmly towards the remaining door that stood in the way between him and the Soul King. He wasn't in any hurry. The Royal Guard were proving to be excellent allies, keeping the pathetic Soul Reapers and hollows at bay while he lay claim to godhood. He let a smile grace his features as a large explosion was heard behind him.

_With a minute to spare…how conventional. _

Aizen turned and raised his sword as Tensa Zangetsu was swung hard at his neck.

"So glad you could come, Ichigo Kurosaki," he said, watching the hollow eyes narrow behind the striped mask.

"Come at me, Aizen! I'll tear you to pieces!"

* * *

Date: 2013 January 2

Place: King's Realm, Palace/Rubble

Time left till destruction: 5 minutes.

The palace was crumbling around them, yet disregard for the respect of property had never once in his life crossed Ichigo's mind. He was panting hard, his wounds taking slower and slower to heal. Yet he was nothing compared to Aizen. It had been quite straightforward really, defeating the man who was striving to become god. After all, Byakuya had insured Ichigo would never forget that tactic.

Soul chain and soul sleep.

Ichigo had stolen something from Aizen that could not be replaced. The hōgyoku was useless now and the Soul King safe. Aizen's attempt of performing bankai and resurrection, as Ichigo had done, was unsuccessful. It was too taxing on the Soul Reaper's body. And it was that moment, when Ichigo struck, severing the links of power. Now Aizen was finished, his zanpakutou was crumbling away into dust while his power slowly wasted away. It was over.

The remains of the Soul Reapers and Espada army started to wander over, Urahara first of course, making his way over to Aizen. Rukia and Ulquiorra appeared at the same time, followed by Byakuya and a few Vizards. Rukia wandered over to Ichigo, her hand sliding into his.

"You alright?"

"I've been better," he winced as the sudden thought of pain caused him to remember his injuries. His legs were starting to wobble as Rukia, seeing his dilemma, supported his arm with her small body.

"STOP HIM!"

Ichigo looked up in surprise to see Urahara dashing after Aizen, the traitor heading for what seemed to be a throne of some sorts. At first, Ichigo wouldn't give him a second thought, but the fear in Urahara's voice made his insides freeze.

Something bad was going to happen.

Yoruichi was flash stepping towards him, her arm outstretched. Ulquiorra had sonidoed above him, a fist poised to strike.

It was all happening in slow motion. Aizen swung the dissolving Kyoka Suigetsu at the throne, slicing it clean through. A bright, blinding light flashed, making everyone cover their eyes, turning away from the glare. And then everything exploded.

Ichigo tried to clutch Rukia's body to his own, shielding it from harm, but she was pulled away by a force unseen. He couldn't see. All he could feel was pain. All he could hear was screams. He was lost. He was alone. Everything was shaking. He felt his body finally hit the ground after being blown back at least a few hundred yards. There was a hissing sound that overpowered everything else, causing Ichigo to cover his ears in pain. He couldn't stand it. He couldn't bare it.

And then it stopped. The air around him stilled. Ichigo let his hands drop to the floor, taking in the eerie silence. Deciding it was safe, he opened his eyes.

Gone; they were all gone. They were all dead. Their lifeless eyes stared into empty space.

"No…" his voice shook, "please no…"

Where was she? Was she dead like all the rest? Surely she was alive. She had to.

He started to drag his body across the remains of what must once have been a marvelous palace, searching for her.

"Rukia!" He started to cough up blood, but didn't care. He could see her, just a little ways ahead! Only a few more steps…

"You still won't die then, Ichigo Kurosaki?"

* * *

I must sincerely apologize for the lateness of this. Also, I'm sure most were expecting something different, such as a deeper plight into the Wizarding World. That, I am grieved to admit, must wait for the next chapter. I also would like to apologize for the amount of violence and gore and my lack of warning.

Why this is late...err, well, I've been sort of lazy and busy. So I made up for that with a long chapter. Bloody 8,000 words. GAH. Sometimes, you have to choke me until words are squeezed out. haha. Anyway, this is more of a hobbie than a dedication. My social life is more important then the internet. -le gasp-

Why did I bother writing Ichigo's past? Because he needed more depth. I need to really have him come off as a person who had so much, who lost it all, and who will rise again. It's important, despite what you may think.

What will be in my next chapter? Merlin! Yup yup. I'm already writing it.

The ending is a little rushed I will admit. I spent at least 15 hours the the first 6,000 words and sped through the ending because I really really wanted to get this out.

I also tried to fit humor to balance out the depressing stuff, trying to live up to Bleach's comical side. I hope it was noticed.

My favorite line from this has to be "Listen to your woman and defeat Aizen." lol

Reviewers and Favorite peeps. I offer you my thanks. You have given me hope. 

Anonymous Justin. You have to be my favorite reviewer. And since you are, I will answer one of your questions. 

Why Ichigo's power was dark when he fought the chimera is simple. He can call upon his hollow powers in shikai, not just bankai. Like when he was training with the vizards and such. (dodges bullet)

Thanks for reading and your patience. Love you all. -Ichi


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